Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Who are the Dogon?

The Dogon are a West African people living primarily in Mali. The Dogon are perhaps best known for their complex cosmology and retaining their traditional spirituality in a region that was largely converted to Islam.

Nommo Figure with Raised Arms

Arts of Africa

The Tellem are thought to have occupied the region of the Bandiagara escarpment until the sixteenth century. The human form with raised arms is a common pose for Tellem sculptures and is said to refer to prayers for rain, crucial in this dry region.

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Who are the Dogon?

The Dogon are a West African people living primarily in Mali. The Dogon are perhaps best known for their complex cosmology and retaining their traditional spirituality in a region that was largely converted to Islam.